CWG: No cycles to train athletes

Lack of cycling equipment for the athletes leaves Cycling Federation of India (CFI) president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa worried about India's medal prospects in the sport at the Commonwealth Games.

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Rahul Rawat

New Delhi

June 30, 2010

UPDATED: July 4, 2010 23:12 IST

Sports Minister MS Gill on Tuesday inaugurated the newlybuilt cycling velodrome at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex but lack of equipment has left Cycling Federation of India (CFI) president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa worried about India's medal prospects in the sport at the Commonwealth Games.

With less than 100 days left for the October 3-14 Games, Dhindsa said athletes are still waiting to get new cycles, and the delay is hampering their preparation for the mega event.

"The stadium is definitely one of the best but all this will be of no use if our athletes do not come up with a good show at the Games," Dhindsa said at the inauguration.

"The Indian athletes are very enthusiastic and they want to perform well in front of the home crowd. But lack of equipment has been a major road block in their preparations.

"They (cyclists) are yet to get new cycles that we had asked for. They are still practising with their old cycles which do not meet international standards," the CFI president rued.

The CFI had also asked for a foreign coach but the request fallen on deaf ears. "We had requested for two coaches-one Indian and one foreign. We have got the Indian coach but no foreigner has been appointed yet," he added.

Earlier at the inauguration, Gill said that with all the stadiums getting ready for the Games, organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi must keep his promise of delivering the best-ever Games.

"But after the Games are over we must ensure that these stadiums are taken care of," said the sports minister, who was accompanied by Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, Kalmadi and Dhindsa.

Gill heaped praise for the engineers and CPWD staff for completing the job in such a short span of time even though there were apprehensions about its timely completion.

"The venue is ready and this is as good as the best in the world.

The cycling velodrome in China is certainly the best but this is nothing less than that. All the venues are ready and the whole staff has done a great job to provide us with such beautiful venues." The velodrome has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 150 crore and in a record 17 months. The venue is fully covered, air- conditioned and has a 250m long timber track with a four- metre safety zone made of Siberian pine wood and has a seating capacity of 3,800.